What We Do > Our Sectors and Practices

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

The distinct yet related activities of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) offer a cross­cutting service to all our other areas of expertise and are integrated into every stage of our work from design through implementation to lesson-learning at the end of a programme to ensure we deliver lasting results and maximize Value for Money.

We design and implement flexible, participatory MEL approaches and also provide tools and technical solutions to monitor the present, evaluate the past and shape the future. With gender and inclusion being a key component of our work, our approaches are focused on continual improvement and learning within organisations, development sectors and programmes. We have an established track record in the conduct of complex evaluations, and are at the forefront of thinking in MEL for adaptive programme management. Through our interventions, we contribute towards improved performance, accountability and demonstrating the value of client investment so that value for money can be optimised. The breadth of our in-house expertise, coupled with our practical experience in many of the key sectors lies at the heart of our M&E reputation and service.

Contacts

Clarissa Poulson

Shantanu Das

Promila Bishnoi

Projects

Supporting Partnerships for Accountability and Civic Engagement (SPACE) is a new programme supported by DFID to improve engagement between government and civil society in Myanmar. The funding will support civil society and local authorities to make public institutions more responsive to people’s service delivery and economic needs. Our scope of work is to act as “Evidence and Learning” partner aiming to ensure high quality, independent assessment and analysis of what works in terms of promoting improved civic engagement in Burma, and the impacts this brings in terms of deepening peace and democracy and improving access to services and economic opportunities. Our project has been designed to be responsive to needs and opportunities as they arise, and will support strategic decision making and improved sharing and capacity to use evidence across a broad set of actors to ensure better use of data in policy making and implementation.

IPE Triple Line has been awarded to implement an independent evaluation of the Amplify programme. Amplify is a 6-year, £10.1 million innovative Human-Centred Design programme financed by DFID in partnership with IDEO.org. It is a series of eight open and agile challenges focusing on sourcing early stage ideas to tackle emerging development challenges Owing to the (i) weak evidence base around the use of Human-Centred Design to create development interventions which have the potential for long-term sustainable impact, and the (ii) experimental nature of the Amplify programme, it is critical to learn from both success and failure and to develop evidence on the approaches used and distinct elements of the Amplify programme. This body of evidence will enable DFID and its development partners to better understand the value of more flexible and agile, design-centred approaches to developing programmes and whether these are more effective at meeting beneficiary needs. The overall purpose of this evaluation is to understand which components of the Amplify programme have the potential to achieve better and more relevant solutions that deliver greater depth and breadth of impact for people living in poverty. The evaluation's focus is on assessing the effectiveness and impact of the Human-Centred Design approach to achieve improved outcomes for the end-users and higher value for money for DFID in the long-run once this approach has been taken to scale.

The Economic Empowerment of the Poorest (EEP) is £84 million programme in Bangladesh that included two challenge funds (scale and innovation), a comprehensive academic research programme, strategic advocacy and nutrition. The programme aimed to lift over a million people out of extreme poverty, to deepen knowledge and improve practices to address extreme poverty (for women, men, girls and boys) and to bring about strategic policy change at national and sub-national levels.

We conducted the final evaluation of EEP programme. As part of evaluation, we produced an in-depth report to stimulate discussion, reflection and debate on findings amongst key stakeholders with a view to future design. The evaluation team engaged key audiences throughout the process including in the discussion of findings and recommendations. The findings and lessons from the evaluation contributed to the design of DFID’s follow-on initiative particularly in the areas of approaches to results measurement, the way in which innovation is supported, and the design of strategic and more action oriented research to inform practice and policy advocacy.

Institutions for Inclusive Development (I4ID) programme is aimed to strengthen democratic institutions and governance in Tanzania so that they are more inclusive and economic growth provides more benefits for poor people especially disadvantaged women, men, boys and girls.

As part of a consortium, we are delivering the design, mid-term review and final evaluation of I4ID programme. The evaluation will provide (a) strategic direction adjustments for the programme (b) learning on flexible and adaptive programming (c) and better understanding of how change happens. The evaluation exercise presents an exciting opportunity to better understand how political transformation works in an environment where pathways to change are uncertain - the essence of a Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) focused approach.

The AECF is a challenge fund that supports the private sector to increase employment and reduce poverty. The fund has grown from $35m in 2008 to $247m in 2016 with over 250 projects in 23 countries, through eight funding windows.

We have been the monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) partner for the AECF since its inception in 2008 until 2017. As MEL partner we designed a portfolio-wide system of results measurement, conducted impact verification studies, and authored thematic learning papers based on the AECF portfolio. Notable projects included an impact verification study on an outgrower business in Kenya, which involved agronomic training using SMS and phone-based surveys. We also conducted an impact verification study on multiple seed businesses in Kenya and Tanzania, using surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups, and authored an impact verification study on a poultry farming project in Ethiopia.

We also produced a range of learning papers, on topics such as outgrower models (including case studies of coffee outgrower schemes in Rwanda and Kenya), decent work (including case studies on agronomic training) and gender in agribusinesses. We have ensured AECF has an established and effective results measurement system which tracks and learns from the performance of AECF’s funded projects and the contribution these are making to reducing poverty and changing market systems.

UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) established an external technical service providing independent technical support and quality assurance for evaluations in order to increase the quality and consistency of their evaluation products. We deliver this service - the Specialist Evaluation and Quality Assurance Service (SEQAS) (2012-2016) and Evaluation Quality Assurance and Learning Service (EQuALS) (2016-2020) in partnership with IOD PARC.

Through the service we provide DFID with a range of core monitoring and evaluation services to support improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of DFID programme performance. The services are demand driven with the aim of helping DFID staff to make strategic choices from the range of appropriate methods, approaches and designs for monitoring reviews and evaluations. We are also providing quality assurance services to DFID for monitoring and evaluation design (including theories of change), implementation and delivery.

Designed by DFID and funded by the UK, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and USA, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) programme aims to improve trade competitiveness in East Africa by reducing transport time/costs and improving the trade environment, contributing to sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. With a secured budget to date of US$ 540 million, TMEA works closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations to increase trade by unlocking economic potential through increasing trade.

We have undertaken an independent evaluation of Trade Mark East Africa’s (TMEA)’s project-level outputs and outcomes. The evaluation team used semi-structured qualitative interviews with TMEA staff, implementation partners and project stakeholders across Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to evaluate TMEA outputs and outcomes against DAC criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. Projects within our sample included support to export markets for tea in Kenya, and investment into coffee value chains in Rwanda to increase export capability.

Launched in 2011 with funding from DFID, the HIF was one of the first funds specifically designed to fund the development and testing of innovation solutions for humanitarian action. Grant funding is structured around the five-stage innovation model (recognition > invention > development > implementation > diffusion). This has more recently been supplemented by calls to respond to specific challenges in humanitarian settings (WASH and gender-based violence) and, strategically, to fund scaling of innovations which have successfully passed through the earlier innovation stages.

We were responsible for independent evaluation of HIF. The evaluation was wide-ranging, examining the fund’s performance in identifying and supporting innovation since its launch including through its learning, dissemination and communication activities; the external and internal factors which had supported its performance; and how effectively the HIF’s grant-making processes had supported its aims. The team took a collaborative approach and used a range of methods to gather data and evidence, including conducting three case studies of HIF funding. The evaluation’s analysis, conclusions and recommendations have fed into a strategic review of the HIF.

FGMC is a 10-year, £250 million forestry flagship programme aimed at tackling forest governance failures in developing countries (timber producing supply countries) as well as timber importing regions. FGMC is implemented in West Africa, Congo Basin/Central Africa, South East Asia Latin America, and European Union (EU). FGMC’s objective is to produce governance and market reforms that reduce the illegal use of forest resources and benefit poor people; it supports the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade.

Together with ITAD, we have provided a highly qualified multi-skilled Independent Review Team (IRT) for monitoring and evaluation of FGMC programme. This is a highly complex and sophisticated assignment which has demanded strong robust methods to monitor and evaluate programme implementation, and excellent facilitation skills with a wide range of implementing partners. Our aim has been to ensure that the FGMC activities were on track relative to the milestones set out in the programme logical framework and are contributing effectively to project outputs and outcomes.

IPE Global in partnership with Kantar Public is supporting the MDWS, Government of India in conducting five rounds of national annual rural sanitation survey (NARSS) between 2017 and 2022. Through the surveys, IPE Global will verify the progress of states and union territories (UTs) on key rural sanitation performance indicators under SBM(G). Each round of survey will cover around 100,000 households across the country. The survey findings will be used to assess the state performance against the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), aligning these with Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs). Besides preparation of independent verification reports, the IPE Global is also supporting the government in developing an incentive mechanism for improving performance against the finalised SBM-G KPIs.

As evaluation manager for the programme, awarded under DFID’s Global Evaluation Framework Agreement (GEFA), we are applying our experience of managing and evaluating complex programmes to provide independent assessment of the results and impact of the HARP, and to provide technical evaluation expertise to programming within its main funding mechanism, the HARP Facility. We have developed an Evaluation Framework to ensure that appropriate data is gathered, analysed and synthesised to enable assessment of results, and will use this to design and deliver the final evaluation and to support DFID’s Annual and final Project Completion Reviews.

IPE Global evaluated the effectiveness of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) in supporting democracy in more than 15 post-conflict and fragile countries, through parliamentary strengthening programmes and political party assistance initiatives. The evaluation produced an assessment of what results WFD’s programmes yielded or contributed in the set of countries selected, lessons learnt; and recommendations for WFD’s future implementation. The evaluation provided evidence for the UK government’s future decisions on democratic assistance in post-conflict countries; a clearer understanding of whether the UK is helping the countries concerned to move in the right democratic direction; and an assessment of the most effective approaches and in different circumstances.

IPE Global evaluated the impact of DFID’s funding to TERI to implement a programme for Clean Energy Access and Improved Policies for Sustainable Development in India and East Africa. The evaluation looked at the impact of DFID’s financial support for piloting of improved technologies and new business models that promote use of improved cook stoves and solar home lighting in India and Africa. In addition to evaluating the outcomes and impacts of the programme using a mixed methods approach, the team also assessed the utility of project data towards programme management and identified lessons of what worked and what did not work and why.

IPE Triple Line worked with DFID’s Evaluation Department and the Research and Evidence Division (RED) to develop a Theory of Change and an action plan for DFID to evolve into a learning organisation in June and July 2016. The team worked with a number of stakeholders within DFID to understand current learning mechanisms, appetite and critical path to change, and to identify barriers and enablers to change happening. The team also tested the assumptions in the Theory of Change to critically examine the outcomes and outputs to ensure they are coherent, consistent and logical within the flow of the pathways – and that realistic assumptions underpin the pathways between them and the impact statement. This assignment was part of DFID’s efforts to take forward the recommendations from two reports on how DFID learns – the Independent Commission on Aid Impact’s Review of ‘How DFID Learns’, and the Cabinet Office’s ‘What Works Review’ on the use of evidence in DFID.

IPE Global and IPE Triple Line undertook a summative evaluation of DFID’s Health Partnership Scheme in 2016. The Health Partnership Scheme (HPS), is a key DFID programme which aims to address the critical health worker needs in developing countries. HPS supports partnerships between UK health institutions and those in low income countries, through health service skills transfer and capacity development. The summative evaluation of HPS used a multi-level based framework to assess the impact and effectiveness of the programme and its progress towards achieving desired outcomes and its impact. Our team conducted a systematic in-depth analysis of the qualitative aspects that facilitated wider lesson learning about building health worker capacity in developing countries and the reciprocal benefits of partnerships in the UK. The evaluation used a participatory evaluation design process that built on and expanded existing review mechanisms and involved key stakeholders to support learning and buy-in. The team used a variety of complementary and innovative methods to generate additional data to support the existing monitoring data.

IPE Global and Triple Line are managing the EMU for DFID’s FLAG programme in Indonesia for a 3-year period (2015-18). FLAG is a £32.5 million programme that aims to deliver effective and transparent land-use systems, government accountability at provincial level, and transparency on land licensing decisions. FLAG supports the improvement of sustainable and responsible business, particularly in palm oil, and promote alternative approaches to large scale deforestation. Adaptive M&E, for adaptive programme management, is at the heart of the way in which we are currently working as the lead of the Evaluation Management Unit (EMU) to develop and implement a framework for evaluating the programme at the project and programme levels. The evaluation framework ensures that the data is gathered and analysed for each project, and then synthesised for the evaluation of the overall programme. We are assessing the results achieved by FLAG and implement an adaptive learning model, which will support evidence-based decision making regarding the scale-up or redesign of the programme interventions.